Still We Rise

Marla A. Jackson, artist

born 1952

Still We Rise, 2013

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: cotton; paint; plastic; wood; appliqué

Credit line: Museum purchase: Peter T. Bohan Art Acquisition Fund

Accession number: 2014.0017

Not on display

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Images

Label texts

Collection Cards: People

The flame-filled image on this quilt is a portrait of William Quantrill. In 1863, he led a raid on Lawrence, Kansas, burning much of the town. This raid was part of the border conflict between Kansas and Missouri about whether Kansas would come into the United States as a free or slave state. Eight high school students worked with quilt artist Marla Jackson to learn about people’s experiences on both sides of the border during this difficult and violent time. Then they created this narrative quilt to tell a story.

Notice how all of the pictures and words work together to tell the story of Quantrill’s Raid.

What story would you like to turn into a work of art?

What images and words would you use to tell your story?

Spencer Museum of Art Highlights

Led by artist Marla Jackson, eight high school students researched Quantrill's Raid, which occurred in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1863, and created Still We Rise. The students began by seeking a deeper understanding of the perspectives underlying the conflict on both sides of the Kansas/Missouri border. Then, in order to translate their discoveries into an original narrative quilt, the young artists learned fabric dyeing, painting, and textile design techniques to communicate their findings.

This narrative quilt project, part of Jackson’s Beyond the Book literacy initiative geared toward middle and high school students, was made possible through an interpretive grant from Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.

Narratives of the Soul

Led by Jackson, eight high school students researched Quantrill’s Raid—an attack on Lawrence by pro-slavery Missourians in 1863—and created this quilt, Still We Rise. The students began by seeking a deeper understanding of the perspectives underlying the conflict on both sides of the Kansas–Missouri border. Then, to translate their discoveries into an original narrative quilt, the young artists learned fabric dyeing, painting, and textile design techniques to communicate their findings.
Student artists: Kenyan Bell, DaMontel Hendricks, Alyssia Ivory, Tiffiny Jirik, Desiree Powell, Lexie Powell, Nia Rutledge, Zephaniah Wilson.

Narratives of the Soul

Google Art Project

Family Day Label, Aug-2013:
Still We Rise, 2013

Kenyan Bell
DaMontel Hendricks
Alyssia Ivory
Tiffiny Jirik
Desiree Powell
Lexie Powell
Nia Rutledge
Zephaniah Wilson

Led by artist Marla Jackson, eight high school students researched Quantrill's Raid, which shook Lawrence in 1863, and created Still We Rise. The students began by seeking a deeper understanding of the perspectives underlying the conflict on both sides of the Kansas/Missouri border. Then, in order to translate their discoveries into an original narrative quilt, the young artists learned fabric dyeing, painting, and textile design techniques to communicate their findings.